Gheymeh Bademjan

Persian Eggplant & Saffron Beef Stew

Country: Iran 🇮🇷
🍲 Category: Persian Stew (Khoresht)
🥄 Prep Time: 30 minutes (includes soaking)
🔥 Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
🕰️ Total Time: ~2 hours 15 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 4

Gheymeh Bademjan is a rich and comforting Persian khoresht (stew) made with sautéed eggplants, beef, split peas, and a tangy tomato base. The soul of this dish is saffron, which brings a golden color and warm, floral aroma that elevates the stew from hearty to heavenly. It’s a traditional Iranian favorite often served with fluffy Persian rice (chelow).

🧂 Ingredients

• 250g beef or lamb, cut into small cubes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup yellow split peas, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
• 2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (used later)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Salt, to taste
• 1 heaping tsp saffron threads, bloomed and divided
• 2 dried limes (limoo amani), soaked and pierced
• 1 small cinnamon stick (or ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, optional)
• 1–2 tbsp dried Persian rose petals (gol-e-mohammadi, optional)
• 3 cups water or light beef broth
• Oil for frying

❄️🔥 Complete Ice Blooming Method for Saffron

• Grind 1 heaping tsp saffron into a powder.
• Place it in a small glass with 1 ice cube and let it melt naturally.
• Once melted, add 2–3 tbsp hot (not boiling) water.
• Let it steep for 10 minutes.
• Use half in the stew, and half in the tomato paste mixture later.

🍳 Instructions

1. Start the Stew

• In a pot, heat oil and sauté the chopped onions until golden.
• Add turmeric and stir briefly.
• Add beef cubes and brown them on all sides.
• Add salt, pepper, cinnamon stick, limoo amani, and split peas.
• Pour in 3 cups of water or broth and bring to a gentle boil.
• Add half of the bloomed saffron.
• Cover and simmer for about 2 hours, until the beef and peas are tender.

2. Prepare the Eggplant

• While the stew simmers, fry the eggplant slices until golden and soft.
• Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

3. Make the Tomato-Saffron Mixture

• In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté 2 tbsp tomato paste over low heat until slightly darkened.
• Add a pinch of turmeric and stir well.
• Add 2–3 tbsp stew broth to loosen the mixture.
• Stir in the remaining saffron water and let it simmer briefly.
• Add this mixture to the stew during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

4. Finish with Eggplant

• Gently place the fried eggplants on top of the stew.
• Do not stir. Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

🍽️ Serve With:

• Persian saffron rice (chelow)
• Sabzi khordan (fresh herbs)
• Torshi (pickled vegetables)